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Maserati Levante SUV ‘Critical’ To Automaker’s Success In Coming Years

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The Maserati Levante SUV will debut next spring at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show with the goal of bringing thousands of buyers into Maserati showrooms. The model’s success will be “critical,” to Maserati’s goal of selling 70,000 units annually by 2018, brand boss Giulio Pastore told Autocar in a recent interview, and will also help bankroll the launch of the Alfieri sportscar set to launch in 2018.

“We are building to 2018, when we will realise the potential of the brand,” Pastore said. “The Alfieri will represent the absolute DNA of the brand, and to build to that we must build a sustainable business. The Levante is a critical part of that; there is no life for a company that sells only sports cars, so its success is key to us.”

The Levante, which will debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, will share a platform with Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli and will be comprised of “parts unique to Maserati (not form the Fiat Chrysler parts bin). Under the hood will be the same V6 and V8 engines and the same transmissions are also expected to appear.

“It is our design, engineered entirely by Maserati and built to our values,” Pastore explained. “It is a sports SUV with an emphasis on the sport, but with credible off-road capability and the unique Maserati qualities around style and sophistication. We will also always be more exclusive than our rivals – the Levante is something truly special.”

Maserati originally planned to have the Levante well into production by the time the 2016 Detroit Motor Show rolled around, however production delays have pushed the model’s launch back. The delays derailed Maserati’s plan to sell 50,000 units annually by 2015, however it still wishes to reach its ambitious 2018 sales goals with the launch of the SUV.